Residents of Jonesboro in Craighead County will have the opportunity to vote in November on whether to reinstate most of the property tax funding for the local public library system that was cut two years ago. The county had previously funded its libraries with a property tax of 2 mills until the 2022 vote cut the funding in half, leading to layoffs and reduced hours for the library system.
The effort to reinstate funding was led by Dean MacDonald, who submitted the measure with 146 signatures to the City Clerk’s office. The measure was certified on September 9 and submitted to the Craighead County Election Commission. The decision to have only Jonesboro residents vote on the measure was made in order to be more responsible, as the overwhelming majority of the library’s funding comes from the city.
In a similar situation, Garland County Judge Darryl Mahoney rejected a proposed cut to the millage funding for the county’s library that was intended for the November ballot. Supporters of the cut argued that the library was overfunded, but many residents spoke out against the measure due to concerns about the impact on library services.
The Jonesboro measure aims to rectify the loss of funding that has negatively impacted the local library system, with supporters seeking to ensure a straightforward ballot title to avoid confusion among voters. The outcome of the November vote will have significant implications for the future of library funding in Craighead County.
Source
Photo credit arktimes.com
